Job Fair brought to you by Philippine Embassy

Ok, since I can't open my outlook email from personal laptop (forgot my password) I'm posting this via Arab Times.

Philippine Embassy joins POLO, ACN to hold 2nd Jobs Fair May 1 event intended to provide Pinoys the opportunity to meet with company reps
by: By: Boie Conrad Dublin

KUWAIT CITY, April 24:

The Philippine Embassy in Kuwait, and the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in cooperation with the Asian Cultural Network (ACN) will launch the second Kuwait Jobs Fair on Labor Day, May 1, 2010 at the Kuwait Hyatt Hotel in Maidan Hawally under the patronage of the Philippine Ambassador to the State of Kuwait Ricardo M. Endaya.

The job fair is being organized in coordination with various companies in Kuwait that require skilled, experienced, reliable and educated manpower to fill different job positions in their respective firms.

The event is intended to provide Filipino workers with various job skills and experience - many of whom were affected by the global economic downturn and were either made redundant or those whose contracts were not renewed - the opportunity to meet with company representatives and HR managers to get interviews for many of the available jobs on offer, and the chance to land better paying jobs.

The job fair also gives local employers the opportunity to fill their job requirements from an available pool of competent, educated, experienced and reliable Filipino workers and the Philippine Embassy in Kuwait is hoping to corner a large percentage of the projected 50,000 job openings for 2010.

Aside from hiring locally, representatives of participating companies will also entertain and receive applications from family members, relatives and friends of Filipino workers in Kuwait who wants to seek employment here.

Jobs Fair highlights:
1. Enable companies to fill worker shortage preferably with Filipino nationals.
2. Chance to interview and meet applicants face to face.
3. Evaluate applications and hire Filipino workers who qualify for job posts on the spot.
4. Gather application forms from Filipino workers who recommend other applicants.
5. Do away with unnecessary expense by hiring locally instead of from the Philippines.
6. The opportunity to meet and consult with Philippine labor officials on job hiring requirements.
7. Companies will have the opportunity to promote their firms during the Jobs Fair.

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Please come together with your family and friends armed with your most updated CV's/ Resumes and copies of important documents such as passport, civil ID's, certificates etc.

I'm playing HR that day so see you there!

P.S.: The timings are between 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. At least that's how long I'll be staying there. Hehe.

I Take Awesome Photos

Even in a moving car.

I call this the wedding building along Gulf Road as the main purpose of the place is to celebrate... well... weddings =)

And yes those are Palm Trees in every corner of that building.

But that's beside the point. Point here is, I TAKE AWESOME PHOTOS with my equally AWESOME CAMERA, doncha tihnk?

Spring Bazaar 2010

Welcome to the Spring Bazaar 2010
Where you have to pay 1 KD to feast your eyes on absolute therapeutically goodness of shopping finds.
Like these beautiful leathers
Hand made baby dresses
I love these!

I wonder where I can get these accessory tree? Hhhmmmm
Pretty little girls
The Mel Marquez booth is buzzing!
I love the Little Hooker table. I mean who can't love that it's so quirky! Top it off they have these pretty handbag hooks, coin pendants and if I'm not mistaken - key holders too.
Lookit!
All of the products came not only in Kuwait but around the world.

Organizers even offered snacks for the vendors =)

I went around the place for like half a dozen times but I end up not buying anything because I was sick with laryngitis. Haha! I know I shouldn't be spreading virus but it's too fun to pass. That and weather + bank account isn't cooperating too well too.




All in all, it's a good day and I can't wait for the Summer Bazaar ;-)

The Sand Storm That Was

It started to be a gorgeous day at around 7.30 in my area.

So gorgeous that I even decided to hang my clothes out for that natural dry.
Took my time to make pa-art shots.

and tweeted/ facebooked about it.

And then I read Kuwait Paper Dumps tweet regarding ignoring their morning greeting with a twitpic that looks almost like this
Seconds later our Yaya ran to my room asking if I took in my laundry and when I asked why she said look out the window
It was about 10 minutes till 8 a.m.
In a matter of minutes, what started to be a beautiful day turned into something dark, smelly and very very dusty. It turned over my laundry (it's the last time I'm hanging laundry out in this weather!) and smacked hard rain on our roofs.

Living in Kuwait for almost 7 years now I can say that sand storm isn't a big deal anymore. Heck, I can smell a sand storm hours away. Unfortunately, I am allergic to it that I suffer for days on end with it.

What's unique about this is aside from your world turning really dark in a matter of minutes - which is very scary I tell you - is that it also turned bright and sparkly in a blink of an eye!


The whole sky looks like it has been wiped clean. Even the air smells good.

I wish I could say the same to our backyard though.

The pool side was totally trashed. The wind was so strong that it knocked over our pool umbrella damaging the pole. Which reminds me, does anyone know where we can get this fixed?
Mama's potted plants also got turned over.
We were planning to have a dip in the pool for the weekend but that plan's a bust now.
This bamboo plant isn't so lucky.
Toys, tables and plants got thrown around

Flood water had to be cleaned up not only out the backyard but also inside our house where rain seeped in through the windows and doors.
I wish I could say it was hard work cleaning all that up but I can't as I was too busy taking photos and blogging/ tweeting about it. Good thing I have younger siblings who can do the dirty work for their older sister =)

Kuwait's weather is messed up lately. Regular work week days are like bright and sunny but come start of weekend then it becomes gloomy and dark the whole time!

Open Letter To My Mother During A 5 Minute Sand Storm

Dear Mama,

While you were sleeping and I was being a good girl basking in the glorious rays of the sun by washing my own laundry and admiring the 9 West ankle booties you gave me, the sky turned sinister dark suddenly.

Yaya Gina ran to my room yelling that I should go up and see what's happening outside. That is right after I read a tweet and saw a twitpic of the surging storm from Kuwait Paper Dump.

In a blink of an eye, the clear sunny sky loomed into darkness. My perfectly lined up laundry tumbled over and got rained at with sand. The air in the house turned musky & smelt like rust. I lost hope about my laundry that I just tweeted and tweeted and tweeted about it.


5 minutes later. The weather Gods probably had enough fun, they cleared the sky as if nothing happened.

Only something happened. Your perfectly freshly lawned garden became a marsh. The pool turned into murky brown that not even Ondin would swim into. Your favorite bamboo stalk got uprooted. Your potted plants and all our pool stuffs overturned. Worst, your beloved pool umbrella got broken.

I gave up laundry for the day. Please don't scold me. I had enough trauma already. The healing part is slowly coming by looking at your youngest children cleaning up the sinister sand storm. If my doing laundry is such a big news, botherbrother and sisterblister's together should be considered a miracle.

My trauma will completely heal if you and Oink will announce to everyone that due to the devastating event, we will all be taken to the biggest mall of Kuwait, The Avenues, for some good R & R through shopping and a brunch.

And oh, a dose of dragon smile will temporarily balm my pain.

So Mama, won't you please wake up and heal me already.

XOXO!

Your smart ass daughter

New Kuwait Labor Law 2010

Published in the official Kuwait Gazette

Posted on 22-Feb-2010

Giving the expatriate working in Kuwait a new hope, the new labor law has been published in the official gazette on 21-Feb-2010 to make it into effect.

The law, which has updated provisions regarding the salary, public holidays, paid leave, sick leave as well as end of service payments deemed suitable for employees and their employers, was approved by the National Assembly last year and was sent to the Kuwait Cabinet before being sent to His Highness the Amir for endorsement. But the large number of domestic workers in Kuwait will not come under this rule.

On Salary:

The new labor law mandates that salaries of all employees be sent to the banks before the 7^th of each month. It also allows employees paid leave on all official holidays, a day off every week, and 30 days of annual leave even during the first year of work. Article 17 grants 21 days paid Hajj pilgrimage leave to an employee who has spent two consecutive years in service under the same employer and has never performed the Hajj pilgrimage previously. Leave must also be granted to the employees on all the 13 days of public holidays and if workers are made to work on public holidays, they must be given a bonus of half-a-day’s salary in addition to a full day’s pay.

On Leave:

Furthermore, a worker is entitled to 40 days of paid sick leave, with full pay for the first 10 days, 75 percent pay for the next 10 days, 50 percent pay for the following 10 days and 25 percent for the last 10 days. An employee is entitled up to 30 days of unpaid sick leave if all his/her paid sick leaves are used up.

On Compensations:

According to article 51 of the labor law, a worker will get complete end of service compensation at the end of the contract period. The employee is entitled to full indemnity if the contract is terminated by the employer, or the employment contract ends without being renewed. A female employee can get full indemnity if she terminates the contract from her side due to marriage within a year from her marriage date.

Article 53 states that the employee is entitled to half month’s salary for every year if the employee resigns after more than three years and less than five years in service. If the employee resigns after 5 years but less than ten years of service, he is entitled to 75 percent of the monthly salary for every year. Beyond 10 years, the employee gets full month’s salary as compensation for every year of service.

On Working Hours

Among other new points, the new law stipulates that minors under the age of 15 cannot be recruited and that women are not allowed to work after 10:00 pm or be involved in risky tasks. The new law also stipulates that employees can work for 8 hours a day, including an hour long break, for six days a week, and that if they work on Friday they are entitled to a day and a half’s pay and a day off during the following week, not counting the following Friday.

On Women and Children

Under the new labor law, pregnant women can now take a paid leave of 70 days as long as they give birth within this period of time. New mothers can also be granted an unpaid leave of four months and the law also prohibits employers from dismissing female workers during this period. An employer is also obliged to establish a day care center for children below four years of age if more than 50 women or 200 men work in the establishment.

On Health Benefits

Employees who meet with accidents on the job or on their way to and from work must receive full salaries throughout the recovering period slated by a physician. If this period exceeds six months, then the employer pays half the salary until the injured employee recovers, dies or his/her handicap is confirmed.

On Termination

Regarding employee termination, the new law says that the employer must give a notice of three months and no worker can be terminated while on leave. The notice period for an employee to resign is also three months. The law also prohibits employers from firing workers without reason, as a result of activities in NGO’s or because they demanded their rights.

On a personal side note:

Although the above has been published, it does not guarantee that it applies to you or your company will follow suit. I know some if not most companies are not implementing this just as yet. The Kuwait Government should be vigilant in making sure that their law is being practiced. Therefore it is always smart to be vigilant and to know your rights in your work place. The above are not guidelines, they are actually published laws so I encouraged all OFW's to check their contracts and talk to your HR department to maximize and put into effect these rules into yours. Kuwait government really did a good thing here. It would've been been awesome if it doesn't only covers the high level clerical staffs and above but also the domestic workers too.

The Spring Bazaar 2010

Mel Marquez retail therapy is at it again! This April 23rd, Friday, we will be joining THE SPRING BAZAAR at Salwa Sabah Al Ahmed Hall from 11 am until 8 pm.

I have to say that the main ladies of The Spring Bazaar (hello Ms. Kim!) are very nice and accomodating. On top of that, they are also very organized when it comes to informations and table assignment. This is the second time that Mel Marquez retail therapy store their organized bazaar, last time was Fall last year.

On the last meeting, they have encouraged us to distribute the flyers and below is what it says:

Please join us for a FUN filled day of SHOPPING, SOCIALIZING, and COFFEE!

Many of the vendors are exclusive to The Spring Bazaar!

We offer a variety of jewelry, original art, souvenirs, gifts, crafts, and tasty treats not found anywhere else!

You a re sure to find what you are looking for!

Entry fee is KD 1 per person (including children) and K- NET is available on site.

Please support and visit booth #53 of Mel Marquez for all kind of fashionable items.

Thanks and see you there!

Pooped Out Rambling

For the lack of better word that best describes the lethargic state I am in right now.

In exactly 2 weeks, I will be reaching the second half of my life. Dramatic as it may sound, reaching the age of 26 with nothing to show of accomplishments (or savings) from the past nor have a concrete plan for the future isn't boding well with me.

Granted I'm getting out here in more or less than a year to pursue my impending education, the nagging "now what" question always lingers.

I swear thinking is more tiring than a physical activity. Not that I do much of the latter anyways. Although I really need to start. Tomorrow. I swear. Promise I'll start mounting the treadmill. Like I promised yesterday that I'll start today. It will happen, it has to happen one way or another.

I'm officially the most lethargic person I know either that or I'm just being to hard on myself. After all, I do work 9 hours a day sitting in a cubicle dealing with drivers of all stink and nationalities not to mention ignoring stupid, ignorant and politically incorrect paper pushers isn't a walk in the cloud. Everyday I wake up at 5.30 a.m. wishing it's already 5.30 p.m. and I'm back where I currently am, in the cocoon of our spanking new house surrounded by dysfunctional but good people.

Lately I've been hooked on Tweetdeck. Not that it's advisable and a replacement for real people and real conversation but this time and right here, reading other people's inane thoughts suits me fine. I am not required to be nice, reply or even participate. All I have to do is sit here, read and occasionally retweet. Life is a lot more serene that way.

My room doesn't look like a mess anymore. Granted there are still clothes on the bed that I sleep with and laundry's beckoning me to take them up but other than that I am loving my new space. I bought a new chest draw last weekend and mom pitched in with my dresser both complimenting my hand me down bed so now the room resembles a uhm well a room. For the first time since I came back from Dubai which was last weekend of February, I am now sleeping on the bed.

Speaking of bed, whoever introduced the medical bed has a serious problem with the word soft. My bed is freaking hard! Everytime I lay on it, I feel like laying on a hard wood floor. Medical bed was introduced to me by my mom 5 years ago when I first got here. Since then I've been sleeping on hard wood floor one so I kind of got used to it. She said that it corrects the posture and actually helps with the back pains. I don't see how but mother knows best so yea, medical bed it is.

Five (?) balikbayan boxes was packed and ready to be shipped off containing my accumulated trash over the 5 years that I'm here. It was mostly books, bags, shoes, clothes and books, bags, shoes and clothes. See the pattern there? Yea. I know.

Despite all those packed up boxes, I still need more drawers in my room for the stuffs on my bed and the clothes that are pending on the laundry. Ang laki ng problema ko. Grabe.

First week of the month and I'm already broke. But then again, who isn't. On the bright side, the days are passing by so fast that I can hardly catch up so before I'll notice, it's the next payday again so yey! By the end of this month, I swear I'm kicking off all temptations and I'll save. save. save!

This blog is reviving again. I have to start writing again. I'll never be a great writer but at least, I'll be good enough to be understood. I'll be coherent enough that I'd get my message across the world wide web where it will be lost in the blogosphere.

Sometimes I'd wish I'm back in the Philippines where good times with great friends are aplenty. Then the reality would hit me hard. We're not young and carefree anymore. Some of them got children and family to take care of. Most of them left back home got unflexible work time that it's so hard to drag any of them out of their houses for a ladies night out.

Now the pull of home isn't about good times or free flowing booze. The pull of home for me is higher education. I am a learner. I love learning new things, discovering ideas may it be old and new. I strive on education. Learning is a constant for me. It's a wonder and a tragedy when I stopped the way that I did.

For someone who had a very long day, I sure do type and spent hours blogging about it. Thank goodness to the love life that keeps me grounded and made me feel loved enough to deserve being taken cared of.

I love my life. I will never regret living here in Kuwait. Despite the lack of hedge funds in my portfolio, I am happy as I was given a change to experience being a daughter of my mom. Being a big sister who can occasionally provide to my siblings. It isn't easy. Being a OFW kid and living alone independently as I grow up, I got used to my own ways on my own terms. Being a 20 years old and suddenly finding yourself being treated like a child again is a mixture of heaven and hate. Nevertheless, I'm not complaining. It was and still is a good run here in Kuwait. I have never lived and had a comfortable life until I got here. Kuwait for me is another learning ground that I have to graduate soon. I'm starting to come to terms with it.

Sometimes you just know when it's time to stop and start again. Like now.

Holy Week and Kuwait

Back home in the Philippines, everyone was on a Holy Week mode. Family gathering, fasting, going out of town, some out of the country, penitence done in a truly unique individual Filipino traditions. I miss it. No matter what activity is being done though, it almost always involves being or celebrating it with the family.

Here in Kuwait, due to the inter religion status quo that we have in the house - my mom is a none practising Jehovah's Witness, me and my siblings are Roman Catholics, the old man is a Baptist - makes it kind of hard to follow a certain tradition.

But a tradition we make.

Our beliefs, although we are not regular church goers, focused on believing in the goodness of God and Jesus Christ. We believe on equality, respect and doing no harm to our neighbors and all living things/ beings in all forms.

Our tradition is strong on family. Every and in almost all activities involved being with the family. I for instance, everyday, can't wait to go straight home after work so I get to talk to them over preparation or dinner. We watch tv series & do house chores together. Of course friction & issues happens but we almost always work it out.

During weekends we go to the mall for a good movie, a lunch out or dinner or in a bookstore. We spend time by the pool but most of the time we are in the kitchen eating, drinking and talking a mile per second.

I am digressing as usual.

Back to Holy Week tradition - Kuwait style.

Thursday was spent at work but in the evening was all about fish soup, rice & Caprica the new tv series.

I woke up on the couch on a beautiful Friday morning not on my own accord but because my mom called telling me that it's time to go for Friday & Irani Market. We went out and bought new beds for the blistersister and a mattress for me.

Saturday was spent at Galleria along Dajeej, the furniture haven of Kuwait. I bought a dresser and a cabinet. Went home, the old man grilled steaks and shrimps, sat over the pool, talked and laughed for the rest of the afternoon. Well they did but I spent it online and in front of the tv watching comedy shows. Dinner was grilled garlic shrimps and grilled bangus. Now we're just settling in to watch Pacific an HBO mini series.

Our life is comfortable and I in behalf of my family is thankful to the good Lord for everything. So even though we don't go to church or have novenas, we pray to Him for guidance and celebrate him in our own way.

Life is good but weekend seriously ends so fast.

Happy Easter everyone. Happy egg hunting!

Irani Market

I blogged about Friday Market before with a promise to blog about the Irani Market.

My apologies for the late follow up but ladies and gentlemen, Irani Market is one of the best Kuwait secret.

Where else can you find gramophones that looks so cool it makes me want to buy and store them for my future house.

I'm loving the vintage feel!

When I saw these leather darlings at Friday Market, I immediately drag my mom to the stall and asked for it as my birthday gift.

Unfortunately, she says no =( She said, pieces like those are good for hacienda/ country style houses.
I disagree because I really think I can make those babies work their worth. Maybe someday.

When I was a kid we had a rotary phone in black. My older cousins then used to sneak in the middle of the night to call up their friends. It was early 90's so mobile phones are still unheard of.

Seeing this gave me a memory flood of the younger compound living years with my Father's side of the family.

Irani Market also have a variety of oil paintings and canvass prints on intricate frames. I would love to buy pieces of those for my future house. During travels, a friend used to buy paintings and I'm beginning to think she had the right idea. It's not like we're going to go back there so might as well stock up for the future house designs.

Irani Market have lovely wooden tables, chest drawers, jewellery cases, lamps, vases in all shapes and sizes, even fish and plants!

Other stalls sells whimsical items such as figurines of angels and miniature Arab women depicting their culture.

If you find yourself in need of a sailor clock, Irani Market is the place to be!

Everytime, we get tired of the dust, noise and heat of Friday Market, we always have to pass by Irani Market for that much more feel of the culture.

It helps that it's airconditioned too!

Telephone Wired

I have to blog about this before I forget.

One of the things I promised myself if when I lost weight, I will curl my hair like the telephone wire.

Yes. I can do that. In fact my mother has done that to me when I was a kid. Like 6 years old I think. Too bad all my childhood photos are gone. Too many houses along the years tends to make you lose things. It's a shame really because I really think I am way better than cute when I was a kid.

So imagine me, a way better than cute kid w/ a telephone wire curled waist length hair.

Too pretty to be true right?

And oh, my mom used bamboo sticks and some chemicals I'm sure doctors would advise against using to a child to achieve the look.

Now, 20 years later. I'm thinking of getting my hair curled like a telephone wire again.

It won't be easy as I have to first lose like gazillion pounds and actually find someone who knows how to do the curl.

My mom can do it. I know she's the perfect person to do it but she absolutely refused to do so. She said I can barely brush my hair when it's wavy now here I am going on and on about the curl. In my defense, if the hair is all curled up, there's no need to brush it right? God forbid it becomes straight again. haha!

Anyways. So that's that and my dream to have a curly telephone wired hair.

Thank you and we now go back to the regular programming of puke fest as it is Sunday tomorrow again! Ugh.

P.S.: I googled and saw these photos that will give you an idea of what a telephone wire curled hair looks like. At least an approximate look.


Cute right? =)

No Toxicity in MS Word

Toxicity is when you just got a text from the bank that your salary was received, only to find out you got a deduction of 100 KD due to phone bills.

Toxicity is when you can't control the urge to call long distance but what's even more toxic about that is when Finance dept. of your work place forgot to pay last month's bill ergo the 100 KD for this month.

Toxicity is updating your monthly budget sheet and finding out that you're broke waaaaayy before you can withdraw a single KD.

Toxicity is moving into a new house and into a new work place all at the same month!

Toxicity is sleeping on the sofa for couple of months more than couple of weeks now because of constant packing, unpacking and your bed being given away.

Toxicity is taking your VIVA usb internet connection to work because the office firewall is crazy. Only to realize that you have nothing good to write about except what is toxic in your life right now.

Toxicity is the rigidness of Kuwait Consulate to let in tourists in this country. Now I can't party with my hommies.

Toxicity is prevalent when you start saying hommies.

Toxicity is the stress level on Saturday at the thought of Sunday. Sunday used to be fun full of oil laden breakfasts, sleeping in & movie marathons. Not anymore. Sunday is a puke day.

Toxicity is when you & family members agreed the night before on meeting up later today to shop for your bed but got a unconfirmed text instead.

Toxicity is asking your taxi driver how much you owe them for the month.

Toxicity is when you start your blog entry as well as every sentence of that blog entry with toxicity.

Toxicity is when you right click the word toxicity in MS Word, it does not have any synonyms nor is it included in the MS dictionary.

Toxicity is now knowing when to stop and end this blog entry.